Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – A 3-car crash, resulting in injuries, struck the charred remains of an early morning tractor-trailer fire along Interstate 40. Following a fully-engulfed fire, the charred cab and trailer remained on the right shoulder of Interstate 40 westbound until rush hour traffic ended. All four westbound lanes of the Interstate were temporally opened for rush hour to allow traffic to clear prior to removing the tractor-trailer debris.

Around 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, December 23, 2014, a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, 2008 Nissan Altima, and a 2007 Chevrolet Pickup were all traveling westbound on Interstate 40 around the 227 mile-marker. The driver of the Malibu, a 50-year-old male from Kingsport, merged over to another lane after noticing the tow company attending the previous tractor-trailer incident. A 52-year-old male from Jonesborough was a passenger in the Malibu. During the merge, the driver of the Altima, a 26-year-old female from Gallatin, swerved and lost control. The Altima then struck the Malibu, causing the Malibu to strike the tractor-trailer debris and turn onto its side against the charred debris. The Altima hit the tractor-trailer debris as well, but it bounced across to the other side of the lanes to the inside concrete barrier. A pickup truck, driven by a 32-year-old male from Lebanon, then struck the Altima. Both cars came to a rest against the inside concrete barrier.

Both occupants of the Chevrolet Malibu were injured and transported by ambulance to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The contributing factors in the crash were the wet roads, and the driver of the Malibu was not aware of his surroundings. When roads are wet, it is extra important for drivers to slow down and pay attention.